Building on their trade with the White Sox for lefthanded starter Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox bolstered their rotation for the 2025 season by signing free agent Walker Buehler.
“I think I’ve always kind of been an emotional player, and somebody that screams and yells and does all that stuff,” Buehler said Friday afternoon, emphasizing how his personality aligns with Boston’s passionate fan base. “So I’m certainly looking forward to the first moment like that at Fenway.”
The righthander, fresh off a World Series title with the Dodgers, closed on a one-year deal worth $21.05 million.
The one-year contract highlights Buehler’s decision to bet on himself after a challenging 2024 season, which followed his second Tommy John surgery and a missed 2023 campaign. In just 16 starts, he posted a 5.36 ERA and a 1.553 WHIP while also yielding 16 homers, just four shy of his career high.
The lost time on the mound had a trickle-down effect. As Buehler worked to shake off the rust and return to his full form, he struggled to find his mechanics, a clear sign the time away from the mound significantly impacted his performance.
“I don’t want to oversimplify it, just because it was such a long period of time that I was pitching so poorly,” Buehler said. “But my back leg wasn’t working right in terms of sequencing in it. And there were just some little nuances, stuff that I just hadn’t felt since I had been in the game.
“I think when you get into a rehab scenario, there’s a lot of feels that you have. I’m trying to remember all the stuff I did in a game to get myself right. You have this time period to get healthy, but also to improve. And I think sometimes you make those feels a little bit too real.”
Buehler could be poised for a bounce-back season. A sign came in the postseason, when he logged 10 consecutive scoreless frames and closed out Game 5 to secure the Dodgers’ first World Series title after a 162-game season since 1988.
“Luckily, I wrapped a bow on it at the end,” he said.
Buehler isn’t too far removed from success either, having played in two All-Star Games during his seven-year run with the Dodgers and posting a pair of top-10 finishes in Cy Young Award voting, his most recent coming in 2021 when he finished fourth. Buehler made a MLB-leading 33 starts that year, compiling a 2.47 ERA and striking out 212 batters in 207⅔ innings.
Buehler has seen the work the Red Sox have done under the new regime of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and pitching coach Andrew Bailey, which was part what drew him to Boston.
The Sox steered much of their pitching staff away from the four-seam fastball in 2024, tossing it 18.7 percent of the time — the lowest mark in the majors.
Buehler, meanwhile, has relied on what was — and still shows flashes of being — an elite fastball pre-injury. In 2024, he incorporated more of a cutter and two-seamer, a trend that’s gained traction across the majors, especially in the last two seasons. He’s not afraid to make further adjustments with the Red Sox, if necessary.
“I knew guys in Boston threw like, the least amount of four-seam fastballs,” Buehler said. “You go to a place where that’s kind of how they operate and maybe that’s the next evolution of my career.”
Buehler does have some familiarity with a few players on the roster, including his good friend Lucas Giolito. He also hopes to bring in one more friend — free agent Alex Bregman, with whom he owns a horse.
“I have certainly made a pitch all over the place for him to come to Boston,” said Buehler, who also shared a field with Bregman as a member of Team USA during college. “He and I have been buddies for a long time.”
Buehler’s postseason experience could benefit the Red Sox, who have missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. The 30-year-old hinted he’s used to being the young guy in the clubhouse, but now he’s a veteran primed to make an impact.
“I think it’ll be fun to kind of be on the other side of that coin,” he said. “There’s a lot of young talent in Boston and a lot of major league-proven talent. I think this team is ready to be able to compete in the division and in the whole league.”
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.